NRC Inspection Team at Callaway

FULTON, Mo. (KMOX) – A Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspection team is at Ameren Corp.’s Callaway nuclear plant near Fulton after concerns were raised about lubrication of an auxiliary feedwater pump.

Ameren issued the following statement to KMOX News:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Special inspections such as the one being conducted at Callaway Plant are a method the NRC uses to gather more information about an issue at a nuclear power plant and validate appropriate actions are being taken. The current inspection is in response to a Feb. 8 routine oil sample taken during periodic maintenance on a pump. The oil showed discoloration, and a subsequent inspection of the pump bearings found some wear. It is not related to the current nuclear plant problems in Japan. Callaway Plant personnel identified the issue during routine maintenance and reported it to the NRC. They replaced the oil and the bearings, and an engineering evaluation showed the pump would have performed its intended function if needed. A special inspection is the lowest of three NRC inspection levels that go beyond the normal, ongoing inspections conducted by the resident NRC inspectors based at the plant.

The NRC says the inspection was begun because a similar finding occurred at Callaway in 2009.